Wear plate for brake hangers



v. H. HARBERT 2,169,729

WEAR PLATE FOR BRAKE HANGERS Filed Dec. 18, 1936 'Patented Aug. 15, 1939UNITED STATES WEAR. PLATE FOR BRAKE HANGERS Victor H. Harbert, Chicago,Ill., assignor to Illinois Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, Ill., alcorporation of Illinoisv Application December 18, 1936, Serial No.116,495

My 'invention relates to an element or plate adapted to support theupper end 'of the usual hangerl of the brake-head-of railroad cars forthe purpose of relieving the walls of the socket or pocket formed in thebracket arm, thatusually is made integral with the truck frame, of wear,while at the same time permitting free oscillatory or swinging movementof the brake hanger or link.

The brake heads of railroad cars are pendently supported in place bysuitable hangers or links, of U-shape with eyeleted ends to receive asupporting pin, or of the continuous loop type; these links beingsupported in a suitable socket or pocket formed in a laterally disposedarm. or bracket generally formed integral with the truck frame. f l lThese arms or brackets are cast integral with Vthe truck frame and henceare of cast metal, while the pins or links are of harder metal with theresult that the walls of the sockets in the arms or brackets becomeworn,due to the constarrt chatter and vibratory movement of the hanger in thepocket, allowing the hanger and suspended brake heads to drop downbeneath the normal point for proper brake application and as required inrailroad operation.

My invention relates toa hanger supporting plate which may be easilyapplied and replaced and which may also afford interlocking engagementwith the bracket yarm or walls of the hanger receiving socket so as toprevent lateral movement and at the same time also relieve the fastening'means or bolt of the thrusts that may be encountered during brakeoperation.

My improved wear plate is also so constructed that contact with thefastening means or pin is prevented and wear of the fastening pin orbolt obviated.

The above enumerated objects and advantages of my invention, as Well asother advantages inherent in the construction, will be more readilycomprehended from the following detailed description of theyaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the socketed arm of a truck frame; thesocket being provided with my improved Wear plate and the upper portionof the hanger; a portion of the truck being also shown.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially on the line2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

s claims. (c1. iss-209) suitab-le Wallas at I4, see Figure 2.

The rear wall portion I4 at opposite ends of the socket is recessed asat I5, see Figure 2. Recessing the rear wall III at the ends of thepocket or socket as described and shown in Figure 3 provides the rearpart of the socket with the vertically extending rib I6, see Figures 3and 4; the rib being for a purpose later described.

The lower wall I3 of the socket adjacent the free or forward end isprovided with a trans'- versely disposed groove I'I, see Figure 4, andthe lends of this groove are shown provided with holes extendingentirely through the wall I3, as shown at I8, Figure 2. The holes I8 aresubstantially in alignment with similar holes I9 in the upper wall I2and spaced apart like holes I8 to receive the hair-pin or U-shape bolt20, see Figure 1.

The brake hanger 2l may be of the conventional continuous loop or linktype and the spacing between the jaws or walls I2 and I3 is suiicient toenable the easy insertion of the upper end of the hanger 2|therebetween.

The bracket I Il and the socket forming portions thereof, like the truckframe, are of cast metal while the hangers are usually of harder metal.As a result of this condition, the constant chatter and vibration andswinging movement of the hanger causes the lower wall I3 to become worn,allowing the brake head and shoe to drop down below proper brakingposition, while at the same time materially reducing the strength of thelower wall I3 below the point of safety.

With the wall I3 worn as mentioned, the entire truck must be taken outof service until the bracket or arm I0 and the socket providing wall I3can. be repaired or replaced.

In order to obviate these difculties, I have devised the wear plate 22,shown in perspective in Figure 5 and inlink supporting position in theother iigures.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken sub- `stantiallyon the line4 4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of my improved wear plate.

My improved wear plate is intended for use in the hanger receivingsocket formed in the outer end of the bracket arm I0 generally formedintegral with the truck frame, a portion of which is shown at II; thesocket or pocket at the end of the arm being formed by means of thevertically spaced wall portions or jaws I2 and I3 whereby a socket orpocket open at both ends and one longitudinal side is provided; theupper and lower walls or jaws I2 and I3 at the opposite longitudinalside ofthe socket being united by a '15 This plate 22 is of width andlength commensurate with the width and length of the lower wall I3 ofthe pocket, with the rear longitudinal side of the plate provided withan upward curvature at 23 to conform with and to contact the reararcuate wall I4 of the pocket, as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

This curved rear longitudinal side 23 of plate 22 intermediate of theends is provided with a socket or cut-out portion at 24 adapted toreceive the upwardly disposed rib I6 formed integral with the rear wallI4 of the pocket andas more clearly shown in Figure 3.

The plate 22 intermediate of the front and rear longitudinal sides isshown as preferably provided with a longitudinally disposed rib 25 andthe plate, rearward of the rib 25 and in conjunction with the upwardlycurved portion 23 is arcuately dished to provide a hanger receiving.

groove; the groove allowing free oscillatory movement of the hanger andthe rib 25 tending to hold the hanger in the groove and away from theretainer means or pin 20.

The plate 22, forward of the rib 25, is shown provided with a pair ofopenings 26, spaced apart to register with the holes I8 and I9 in thelower and upper walls I3 and I2 of the pocket when the plate 22 is inproper position.

As is evident from the structure shown, after the U-pin 20 has beeninserted through the registering holes I9, 26 and I8, movement of thewear plate 22 is impossible. As a matter of fact, with wear plate 22constructed as shown and with the notched or cut-away portion 24 in therear wall receiving the vertical rib I6, any suitable type of pin orbolt may be used instead of the hair-pin type shown.

In order to further hold the plate 22 against any possibility of forwardshifting and to also relieve the fastening pin or bolt 20 of forwardthrusts I provide an anchor at the forward end of the wear plate 22. Thelower side of the Wear plate is provided with a depending rib or boss21, see Figure 4. The boss 21 is arranged intermediate of the pinreceiving holes 26 in the plate and is adapted to extend into the grooveI1 formed in the lower wall or jaw I3 of the bracket. The boss 21,therefore, will prevent forward movement of the wear plate duringoscillatory movements of the brake hanger 2I while the rib I6 on therear wall of the pocket, in interengaging relation with the socket 24 inthe rear side of the plate, will anchor the latter against anytransverse movement toward the ends of the pocket.

With the anchoring means described any type of plate fastening means, asfor example an ordinary Cotter, or a single bolt, may be employedbecause the fastening means is not subjected to plate vibration; andmovement or shifting of the hanger in the pocket or socket is preventedby the upstanding rib 25 which is preferably of heighth somewhat greaterthan the distance between the upper end of the link or hanger 2I and thetop wall of the pocket or socket, as can more clearly be seen in Figure4.

AIn preventing contact of the hanger with the fastening bolt or means 20wear of the latter is also prevented'and hence breakage and loss of thefastening means are obviated and a longer lived structure is provided.

In assembling, the hanger 2| is placed in the groove of plate 22, namelyrearward of rib 25, and the plate with the superposed hanger theninserted into the pocket or socket.

What I claim is:

1. A wear plate for brake hangers adapted to be insertedin the brakehanger receiving socket of a truck frame, said plate on its upper facehaving a hanger receiving groove while the rear side and the bottom sideof the plate are provided with socket wall interengaging portions.

2.. A Wear plate for brake hangers comprising a plate of predeterminedwidth and length, said plate on its upper face and adjacent the rearlongitudinal side being formed to provide a hanger receiving grooveextending longitudinally of the plate, the rear longitudinal side of theplate and the bottom surface of the plate adjacent the forwardlongitudinal side being formed to provide socket wall interengagingsurfaces.

3. In combination with the brake hanger socket of a truck frame, therear wall of the socket having a vertically disposed rib while the lowerwall of the socket is provided with a groove, the upper and lower wallsof said socket having registering bolt receiving openings; a wear plateformed to conform with the lower and rear walls of said socket andhaving a hanger receiving groove on its upper face, the rearlongitudinal side of the plate being formed to interengage thevertically disposed rib of the rear wall of said socket while the lowerface of the plate is provided with a depending lug adapted to extendinto the groove in the lower wall of the socket, said plate beingprovided with apertures adapted to register with the bolt receivingapertures in the walls of said socket.

VICTOR. H. HARBERT.

